Story of an Innovative Leader Redefining Startup Ecosystem
Mukesh Kestwal (PhD), Chief Innovation Officer, iHub – AwaDH (IIT Ropar), 0
IIT Ropar is making big strides in developing technology to support agriculture in India and beyond. Under the leadership of Prof. Rajeev Ahuja, Director, IIT Ropar, the institute has grown into one of the leading innovation hubs, with 10+ CoEs, impacting startups, research, and S&T. IIT Ropar has established two major hubs focused on agriculture: Annam.AI (Rs. 310+ crore), a Centre of Excellence supported by the Ministry of Education, and iHub – AWaDH (Rs. 110 crore), a Technology Innovation Hub by the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS). Both are being led by Dr. Pushpendra P. Singh, (Dean CAPS) as Project Director.
The AI-CoE Annam.AI (Alliance for Next-Gen Nourishment through Agriculture Modernization) focuses on AI to improve agricultural productivity, data systems, and decision-making for various stakeholders. On the other hand, iHub – AWaDH focuses on combining innovation, startup support, and grassroots application through Cyber-Physical Systems to solve on-ground problems using deeptech. Mukesh Kestwal (PhD), Chief Innovation Officer, iHub – AwaDH (IIT Ropar), walks us through the latest endeavors of iHub – AwaDH and more through an exclusive interview with CEO Insights.
What is the kind of impact iHub – AWaDH is creating?
We focus on four key areas: technology development, human skilling, startups & entrepreneurship, and building global partnerships. With support from DST and other line ministries & partners, including Startup India, MeitY, DST NIDHI, BHASHINI, Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India (O/o PSA), IndiaAI, Punjab State Council for S&T, HDFC Bank, Puri Oil Mills Ltd, Seafund, and 200+ partners, we are supporting over 150 deeptech startups focusing on Agritech and Water Tech with a cumulative valuation of Rs. 1600 Cr+, a portfolio that has raised over Rs. 120 Cr, including Rs. 15 Cr+ from internal funds of IIT Ropar; we have developed 80+ technologies and trained 5000+ youth, students, and professionals across India.
IIT Ropar is not just creating innovations inside labs but taking them to the fields, villages, communities, and every stakeholder across the globe and country that needs them the most. The goal is to promote sustainable farming, better water use, and ensure better income for farmers while preserving nature and putting sustainability at the core.
What are your roles and responsibilities as a Chief Innovation Officer?
As the Chief Innovation Officer at IIT Ropar’s iHub – AWaDH, I see my role not as a title but as a responsibility to build bridges between research and reality, between ideas and implementation, between startup and scale, and most importantly, between strategy and success. Every day, I work closely with startups, students, and stakeholders to bring innovation out of labs and into the lives of people, especially in the fields of agriculture, water, and deeptech through the 3I3P model, working closely with Dr. Radhika Trikha, CEO, in synergy with the vision laid down by the leadership to impact the overall mission. My responsibilities span across three main areas:
Firstly, empowering startups by leading programs through IIT Ropar that identify, incubate, and invest in deep-tech startups solving real-world problems; I have supported over 150 startups so far and invested over Rs. 15 Crore to a portfolio that has raised over Rs. 120 Crore and provide support to validate technologies across different market segments.
Driving Innovation Strategy: I work with the leadership team to set strategic directions for our hub and design accelerator programs like SAMRIDHI, PRAGATI, SWACH, SPRINT, WATER, etc., aligning our goals with national missions such as NM-ICPS, ANRF, Startup India, IndiaAI, and others.
Enabling Ecosystems: One of my core responsibilities is to build partnerships with ministries, academia, investors, and industries so that our innovators get the right support at the right time. Whether it’s enabling IP filings, creating pilot opportunities, ensuring policy alignment, or connecting them with investors for fundraising and meaningful feedback, the goal is to make innovation sustainable and impactful.
From representing India at events like the World Agri-Tech Summit in Dubai to enabling collaborations between local startups and global players by traveling to 20+ states, the aim is always the same: to bring innovation to the people who need it the most.
In simple words, I align people, policies, and possibilities so that innovation doesn’t remain a buzzword but becomes a building block for India’s future.
Tell us about your IPs, spanning patents, trademarks, copyrights, and industrial designs.
Before joining IIT Ropar (iHub – AWaDH), my journey as an innovator taught me what it truly means to build from scratch taking an idea from the lab to the field, and eventually to the market. Over the years, I’ve filed more than 15 intellectual properties, including patents, copyrights (2 granted), trademarks (6 granted), and industrial designs, not just to protect innovation but to solve real, on-ground challenges.
One of my earliest innovations during my Ph.D. was a Greywater Treatment System designed for sustainable water reuse in rural communities. I also developed RAHI, a human identification and tracking device, which was
later commercialized through R2E Technologies, a startup I continue to mentor.
To strengthen the ecosystem for others, I contributed to building a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) assessment framework, a playbook that helps researchers, startups, and investors measure how close a technology is to market. This became part of a broader effort to guide how government funds are allocated for high-impact tech innovations through my Grants and Funding Landscape work.
These experiences now guide my work at IIT Ropar (iHub – AWaDH). Having been on the other side, as an inventor and startup advisor, I now use those lessons to mentor founders, shape deep-tech programs, and enable innovations that don’t just remain IP filings but turn into impactful, scalable solutions.
You have had a stellar career, largely in the public sector. What have been some of the biggest challenges faced?
My journey has been deeply rooted in the public sector, beginning as a research scholar under a DST funded project at UCOST, Government of Uttarakhand, where I traveled across six northern states, engaging with over 100 science and technology institutions. During my Ph.D., I continued working on joint R&D initiatives at UPES, and later joined the Atal Incubation Centre at EMPI, supported by the Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog.
These early years gave me a front-row seat to how policies are shaped, how innovation flows through public systems, and most importantly, where the real gaps exist. Choosing the public path was never just a career move, it was a commitment to work at the intersection of science, policy, and social impact.
Over time, my role evolved from researcher to ecosystem enabler, building bridges between policy and people, government programs and grassroots startups. Today, I carry those lessons forward, striving to make public innovation more accessible, responsive, and impactful for those who need it the most.
But the road hasn’t been without challenges. Working in the public sector comes with its fair share of difficulties. Processes can be slow, documentation-heavy, and often layered with multiple approvals that discourage young innovators. But rather than seeing these as roadblocks, I learned to navigate them and even simplify them by co-creating models like 3I-3P: Idea, Innovate, Invest + Policy, Process, Program, aimed at helping both startups and institutions speak the same language.
Another challenge has been the lack of synergy between government structures and the agility of venture capital. One works through defined processes; the other thrives on speed. Over the years, I’ve worked to bridge this gap through over 900+ ecosystem engagements, including 580+ during my days at Headstart and 350+ at IIT Ropar helping founders, policymakers, and investors sit together, understand each other, and collaborate meaningfully.
These experiences taught me that real impact doesn’t always come from resisting the system but from working within it to make it more accessible, responsive, and inclusive. Every time a startup we support solves a local problem or a policy evolves from an on-ground insight, that’s when you know you’re in the right place, doing the right thing.
What are your future aspirations and plans?
Under the guidance of our Director, Prof. Rajeev Ahuja, and the leadership of Dr. Pushpendra P. Singh and Dr. Radhika Trikha, we at IIT Ropar (iHub - AWaDH) are working with a shared mission: to position IIT Ropar as one of India’s leading technology innovation hubs. But our vision goes beyond research papers and pilot projects. We’re building a platform that integrates research, product development, startups, and investment models, drawing inspiration from global pioneers like Y Combinator and HAX, yet rooted in the needs of Bharat. The idea is simple: if India can produce world-class talent, we can also produce world-class innovation outcomes—right here, from Tier-2 cities, from public institutions, and from the grassroots.
As our startup portfolio continues to grow, we aspire to host a flagship global startup event, inspired by platforms like Slush and TechCrunch Disrupt, an effort we’ve already begun through initiatives like SAMRIDHI, PRAGATI, and SPRINT to showcase India’s deep-tech potential to the world. This won’t just be an event; it will be a celebration of ideas born in classrooms, labs, villages, and minds that dared to think differently.
Also Read: Industry, Academia and Government Synergy Disentangling Societal Challenges
We want IIT Ropar to become the birthplace of India’s next generation of deep-tech and agri-tech solutions, where startups are not just built to scale, but built to serve. And above all, we are committed to ensuring that this journey remains inclusive - empowering rural innovators, women entrepreneurs, and voices from the grassroots. This aligns with the vision of our Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi Ji, who has consistently emphasized the need for innovation that uplifts every corner of the country. We truly believe that real transformation rises from the bottom up when those who are often left out are brought to the center.
Our vision is also inspired by India’s leadership on the global stage, especially the G20’s guiding principle of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” - One Earth, One Family, One Future. Whether it's a farmer in Punjab, a founder in a small town, or a researcher in a lab, we’re building an ecosystem where everyone belongs, contributes, and grows together.
Because for us, innovation is not just about building the next unicorn; it's about building a nation that grows with compassion, collaboration, and courage. On the personal side, this journey isn’t just about building an innovation hub—it’s about building hope, enabling potential, and redefining where India’s future is shaped.
To strengthen the ecosystem for others, I contributed to building a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) assessment framework, a playbook that helps researchers, startups, and investors measure how close a technology is to market. This became part of a broader effort to guide how government funds are allocated for high-impact tech innovations through my Grants and Funding Landscape work.
These experiences now guide my work at IIT Ropar (iHub – AWaDH). Having been on the other side, as an inventor and startup advisor, I now use those lessons to mentor founders, shape deep-tech programs, and enable innovations that don’t just remain IP filings but turn into impactful, scalable solutions.
We are committed to ensuring that this journey remains inclusive - empowering rural innovators, women entrepreneurs, and voices from the grassroots.
You have had a stellar career, largely in the public sector. What have been some of the biggest challenges faced?
My journey has been deeply rooted in the public sector, beginning as a research scholar under a DST funded project at UCOST, Government of Uttarakhand, where I traveled across six northern states, engaging with over 100 science and technology institutions. During my Ph.D., I continued working on joint R&D initiatives at UPES, and later joined the Atal Incubation Centre at EMPI, supported by the Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog.
These early years gave me a front-row seat to how policies are shaped, how innovation flows through public systems, and most importantly, where the real gaps exist. Choosing the public path was never just a career move, it was a commitment to work at the intersection of science, policy, and social impact.
Over time, my role evolved from researcher to ecosystem enabler, building bridges between policy and people, government programs and grassroots startups. Today, I carry those lessons forward, striving to make public innovation more accessible, responsive, and impactful for those who need it the most.
But the road hasn’t been without challenges. Working in the public sector comes with its fair share of difficulties. Processes can be slow, documentation-heavy, and often layered with multiple approvals that discourage young innovators. But rather than seeing these as roadblocks, I learned to navigate them and even simplify them by co-creating models like 3I-3P: Idea, Innovate, Invest + Policy, Process, Program, aimed at helping both startups and institutions speak the same language.
Another challenge has been the lack of synergy between government structures and the agility of venture capital. One works through defined processes; the other thrives on speed. Over the years, I’ve worked to bridge this gap through over 900+ ecosystem engagements, including 580+ during my days at Headstart and 350+ at IIT Ropar helping founders, policymakers, and investors sit together, understand each other, and collaborate meaningfully.
These experiences taught me that real impact doesn’t always come from resisting the system but from working within it to make it more accessible, responsive, and inclusive. Every time a startup we support solves a local problem or a policy evolves from an on-ground insight, that’s when you know you’re in the right place, doing the right thing.
What are your future aspirations and plans?
Under the guidance of our Director, Prof. Rajeev Ahuja, and the leadership of Dr. Pushpendra P. Singh and Dr. Radhika Trikha, we at IIT Ropar (iHub - AWaDH) are working with a shared mission: to position IIT Ropar as one of India’s leading technology innovation hubs. But our vision goes beyond research papers and pilot projects. We’re building a platform that integrates research, product development, startups, and investment models, drawing inspiration from global pioneers like Y Combinator and HAX, yet rooted in the needs of Bharat. The idea is simple: if India can produce world-class talent, we can also produce world-class innovation outcomes—right here, from Tier-2 cities, from public institutions, and from the grassroots.
As our startup portfolio continues to grow, we aspire to host a flagship global startup event, inspired by platforms like Slush and TechCrunch Disrupt, an effort we’ve already begun through initiatives like SAMRIDHI, PRAGATI, and SPRINT to showcase India’s deep-tech potential to the world. This won’t just be an event; it will be a celebration of ideas born in classrooms, labs, villages, and minds that dared to think differently.
Also Read: Industry, Academia and Government Synergy Disentangling Societal Challenges
We want IIT Ropar to become the birthplace of India’s next generation of deep-tech and agri-tech solutions, where startups are not just built to scale, but built to serve. And above all, we are committed to ensuring that this journey remains inclusive - empowering rural innovators, women entrepreneurs, and voices from the grassroots. This aligns with the vision of our Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi Ji, who has consistently emphasized the need for innovation that uplifts every corner of the country. We truly believe that real transformation rises from the bottom up when those who are often left out are brought to the center.
Our vision is also inspired by India’s leadership on the global stage, especially the G20’s guiding principle of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” - One Earth, One Family, One Future. Whether it's a farmer in Punjab, a founder in a small town, or a researcher in a lab, we’re building an ecosystem where everyone belongs, contributes, and grows together.
Because for us, innovation is not just about building the next unicorn; it's about building a nation that grows with compassion, collaboration, and courage. On the personal side, this journey isn’t just about building an innovation hub—it’s about building hope, enabling potential, and redefining where India’s future is shaped.